How long have you worked at the FT?

Longer than I care to remember — I joined the same month as Lionel Barber 27 years ago.

What do you cover?

I write a column on the madness of office life, am an agony aunt, and interview anyone who is prepared to say yes to the invitation.

What is the best part of your job?

Writing about whatever I like.

What’s the most challenging part of your job?

Writing about whatever I like.

What’s the most bizarre part of your journalism career?

Creating Martin Lukes, a fictional character, and then putting him in jail for insider trading and writing a full page of stories and earnest analysis in the main paper to commemorate it.

Other than the FT, where do you get your news from, and what is your preferred method of consumption? 

Today programme and World Tonight on BBC Radio 4, Times, Harvard Business Review, and Huffington Post. I also spend a lot of time doing idle (and most unproductive) internet browsing.

What’s the biggest change you’ve witnessed in the company during your years at the FT?

When I joined I banged out company comments on a heavy typewriter and there were hot metal printing presses operated by hard-drinking old men, who gave young girl journalists a hard time.

What product do you wish you had invented?

The wheel.

What was the last song you downloaded on your iPod?

I can’t remember as my iPod was expropriated by one of my children a couple of years ago. Recently though I’ve been listening to Video Games by Lana Del Ray, who I discovered when reading Vogue in the hairdressers.

Where’s the best place you’ve travelled to?

Cornwall, because there is nothing to do apart from walking and reading.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Put your every last cent in Apple.

What is your motto for life?

‘Nomina Rutrum Rutrum’, roughly translated as ‘To Call a Spade a Spade’.

Provide a picture and tell us the story behind it

My byline picture (above) had to be redone following complaint from readers, though to no avail – recently I received an email from a reader saying I looked like a fishwife with anorexia.

Read Lucy’s most recent FT column: http://www.ft.com/management/lucy-kellaway

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